Higher Certificate in Operations Management

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to provide learners who are already in the manufacturing industry or wish to find employment in manufacturing industry, with the knowledge of the principles, concepts and techniques that underlie the disciplines necessary for effective management of the operating system.

This purpose is achieved by providing the learners with exposure to the principles and concepts and techniques which would aid in the management of the production process within the greater context of the business environment and the attainment of the quality objectives of the organisation. The learners are also exposed to the disciplines of purchasing and inventory management. The learners' ability to communicate information effectively is developed through the module Business Communication. The Integrated Application Project provides the learner with the opportunity to demonstrate and apply knowledge in a practical work situation. Numeracy skills are strengthened by the inclusion of an applied mathematics component and academic literacy is included to ensure that the learner acquires the skills to understand the demands of academic study and thereafter provide the learner with the skills to succeed in academic study at a higher education level.

The qualification aims to achieve the following outcomes

• An understanding of operating as a manager in areas such as business, and operations management are demonstrated.

Rationale

A need has been identified in manufacturing industry for a qualification that equips employees at a junior level or those who aspire to become junior managers, with a holistic view of the production function and with knowledge of the principles and concepts that inform their daily activities over a range of disciplines. This need follows from the recognition that the junior manager is a key figure in the effective and efficient attainment of the organisation's objectives.

The Higher Certificate in Operations Management is such a qualification in that, while it considers Operations Management to be the core field, it also provides insights in the disciplines of Quality Management, Purchasing Management as well as the more generic discipline of Business Management. Modules have been included to develop the academic literacy of the learner as well as to strengthen the learners' communication and numeracy skills.

Knowledge of the principles, cognitive tools and concepts that underlie these fields of study is essential for the junior manager to understand the contribution that they make to the effective management of the production function within manufacturing industry. Demonstration of the learner's ability to apply this knowledge and competence can be found in the Integrated Application Project.

The programme contributes to both regional and national goals by

• Providing access to knowledge and skills for individuals who have been disadvantaged in their access to higher education raising the skills level of the region and the nation.
• Providing expertise in the management of organisations across a broad range of industries aiding in the improvement of the productivity of these industries and contributing to national competitiveness.
• Providing the learners with a pathway to achieving their potential thus contributing to the national goal of promoting life-long learning.
• Accommodating the recognition of prior learning ensuring that the national goals of equity and fairness in access to higher learning are addressed.
• The combination of theory and practice together with project work ensures that the learning is applied and the learner is equipped with learning skills. This is reinforced by the introduction of an academic literacy module.
• The use of group work and a reflection on the experience of working in a team enhances the learners' understanding of working with others.

The qualification is primarily designed to provide access for learners already employed in manufacturing industry but is also open to other categories of learner.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

This qualification can be achieved in part through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which includes informal and non-formal learning and workplace experience, in terms of the criteria as laid out in the institutions policy.

Entry Requirements

Access to the Higher Certificate is granted to all applicants who meet the minimum entrance requirements or who follow the available alternative route of entry.

Applicants who are in a possession of a

• National Senior Certificate (NSC).

Or

• National Certificate Vocational (NCV) at Level 4.

Or

• International applicants who are in possession of a qualification that is equivalent to the NSC as determined by SAQA.

The learning programme leading to this qualification consists of

Compulsory modules at NQF Level 5

• Operations Management 1, 15 Credits.
• Quality Management 1, 15 Credits.
• Business Management, 15 Credits.
• Applied Mathematics, 15 Credits.
• Purchasing and Inventory Management, 15 Credits.
• Business Communication, 20 Credits.
• Academic Literacy, 10 Credits.
• Integrated Application Project 1, 15 Credits.

Total Credits: 120.

1. An understanding of operating as a manager in areas such as business, and operations management is demonstrated.
2. Productions and operational business opportunities are acknowledged when they arise.
3. Communicate effectively in a business and operational environment with team members and clients.
4. Range of mathematical decision-making models and their application in the workplace are demonstrated and understood.
5. The knowledge of concepts of Quality Management System and the role that it plays in integrating the activities of the organisation is comprehend and demonstrated.
6. The ability to investigate a problem in the work place, collect and analyse data and present the conclusions in a coherent document suitable for written or presentation is demonstrated.
7. The role of the business organisation within the context of the business world is illustrated.
8. The demands of academic study in higher education are explained.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Described the role and tasks of the operations function in the organisation.
• Explain how operations performance can affect the success of the organisation.
• Utilise the techniques of work study to improve the productivity of the work place.
• Explanations and management of procedures and processed in accordance with timeframe and instructions.
• Critically assess the layout of a workplace.
• Apply the principles and methods of planning and control in the management of operations activities.
• The capacity of operations units is calculated under variety of conditions.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Illustrate the importance of the purchasing function for business enterprises.
• Illustrate and explain the elements and procedures of a purchasing system.
• Describe and analyse the supply chain of organisation and distinguish between the elements of value and how prices can influence the purchased value.
• Describe the role and importance of inventory planning and control.
• Analyse the different cost elements of inventory holdings.
• Calculate the re-order point of an inventory item.
• Apply the principles of Just-In-Time (JIT) purchasing.
• Illustrate and explain the purchasing negotiation process.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Illustrate the ability to apply the theoretical concepts denoting the elements of the communication process.
• Identify the basic channels of communication within an organisation and be able to communicate effectively within an organisation.
• Demonstrate the ability to present effectively in front of an audience.
• Develop multicultural communication skills.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Show confidence and accuracy in basic number operations with positive and negative integers.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between numbers expressed as a ratio, a proportion or percentage.
• Demonstrate the ability to investigate, analyse and describe a wide range of algebraic expressions and equations, solving related problems.
• Demonstrate the ability to investigate, analyse, describe and represent a wide range of functions and solve related problems.
• A workplace problem is identified, data collected and analyses and solution proposed.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• The principles of the main theories of Total Quality Management are discussed and applied to the workplace.
• Define the characteristics of Quality Leaders and the role of ethics and values within a Quality Management approach.
• Describe the current Quality Management Systems (QMS) available and the benefits they hold for a workplace. Understand the implementation of these with specific reference to the ISO range of standards.
• Outline the implementation process and documentation requirements, including Internal Audits and Registration.
• Demonstrate an understanding of Continuous Process Improvement. The learner is introduced to problem solving performance and design problems. Understand how strategies and techniques to achieve continuous improvement can be implemented.
• Describe the management tools that have proven useful in process improvement, cost reduction, policy deployment and new product development.
• Outline Statistical Process Control (SPC) and the techniques.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Illustrate the ability to conceptualise a research project.
• Demonstrate the ability to carry out a simple research project.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of entrepreneurship and the role that it plays in business management.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how a business is established.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of management in the business organisation.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the theories relating to employee motivation and the principles of various motivational theories.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the legal environment in which a business operates.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the finance function in business.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Identify the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that learners require to succeed in their studies.
• Develop vocabulary in order to use words effectively and appropriately in an academic context and in the workplace.
• Improve reading techniques that are used for study purposes.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the elements that constitute academic argument, including main claims and supporting evidence.
• Demonstrate the skills of paraphrasing and summarising.
• Demonstrate the ability to write paragraphs in academic assignments and analyse the academic writing skills in assignments.
• Develop planning and preparation skills in order to improve performance in examinations.

Integrated Assessment

The Integrated assessment is to ensure that the learners are exposed to the principles and concepts and techniques which would aid in the management of the production process within the greater context of the business environment and the attainment of the quality objectives of the organisation.

All formative assessment tasks are internally moderated and all summative, exit level assessment tasks are externally moderated by suitably qualified experienced subject specialist. All assessment decisions and moderation judgment must be clearly motivated and recorded.